JP3235509B2 - connector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connector capable of extracting a terminal fitting without using a jig.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-148193 is known as an example of a structure for holding a terminal fitting in a cavity of a housing so as not to come off. In this device, as shown in FIG. 16, a lance c is formed by cutting and raising a bottom surface of a connection portion b provided on a terminal fitting a, and a stepped locking surface e is provided on a bottom surface of a cavity d. When the terminal fitting a is inserted to the regular position in the cavity d, the lance c is locked by the locking surface e, so that the terminal fitting a is held in a retaining state. On the other hand, in front of the locking surface e, the fitting surface f
A jig insertion groove g is formed so as to open at
To remove the terminal fitting a for maintenance or the like, insert the jig into the jig insertion groove g to bend the lance c inward, release the locking on the locking surface e, and pull out the terminal fitting a. Has become.

[0003]

That is, conventionally, when the terminal fitting a is removed from the cavity d, an operation of bending and deforming the lance c by the jig is required, which is troublesome. In particular, if the housing is small, the jig insertion groove g cannot be sufficiently large, so that the jig cannot be inserted properly, and the jig insertion groove g may be damaged. Could also be damaged. It should be noted that, even when a resin lance is provided on the cavity side to be locked to the terminal fitting, the operation of releasing the lock by bending and deforming the lance by the jig is the same, and the same problem occurs. is there. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been completed based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a connector capable of extracting a terminal fitting without using a jig.

[0004]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a housing is provided with a cavity for receiving a terminal fitting,
In this cavity, a lance that can be engaged with the terminal fitting,
An opening allowing insertion of a jig is formed in the cavity to press the electric wire against the terminal fitting, and in a connector provided with a cover for closing the opening, the lance is directed outward on a mounting surface of the cover. The cover has a semi-lock structure that allows insertion of the terminal fitting while being bent and deformable and allows the terminal fitting to be locked in a retaining state, and allows bending operation of the terminal fitting while being bent and deformed in the same direction. The present invention is characterized in that a restricting portion for restricting the bending deformation of the lance is provided.

[0005] The invention of claim 2 is the one according to claim 1
In the lance , the locking lance is formed with a locking projection that can be locked to a locked portion provided on the terminal fitting, and the locking projection is formed when the terminal fitting is pulled out. The semi-lock structure is characterized in that a guide surface is provided to guide the lance so as to abut against the locked portion so as to bend and deform.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect , another housing is provided on the housing.
The overlay covers the opening of this other housing
It is possible to combine in the form of
Deformation of the lance of the another housing on the overlapping surface
It has a feature in that a regulating portion for regulating the shape is provided .

[0007]

<Function and Effect of the Invention ><Invention of Claim 1 > The terminal fitting is inserted into the cavity while elastically locking while deforming the lance. When the cover is put on after the pressure welding of the electric wires, the deformation of the lance is restricted by the restricting portion of the cover, and the terminal fitting is fully locked in a retaining state. When the cover is removed, the restriction of bending deformation of the lance is released,
When the terminal fitting is pulled out by a predetermined or more tensile force, the terminal fitting can be pulled out from the cavity while bending and deforming the lance. After removing the cover, the terminal fitting can be pulled out without using a jig. The bending deformation of the lance can be restricted only by covering the cover so as to cover the opening of the cavity, and the terminal fitting can be fully locked in a retaining state without any special restricting means such as a retainer.

<Invention of Claim 2 > When the terminal fitting is pulled out by a predetermined or more tensile force after removing the cover, the lance bends and deforms outward while being guided by the guide surface, and the terminal fitting is engaged. The stop comes off the locking projection,
The terminal fitting is withdrawn from the cavity.

<Invention of Claim 3> When another housing is stacked on the housing, another housing
The deformation of the lance is restricted, and the terminal fittings are prevented from coming off.
It is fully locked in the state. When the housing is removed, another housing
Since the restriction of the bending deformation of the lance is released, the terminal
When the metal fitting is pulled out with a predetermined tensile force, the lance will bend.
Removing the terminal fitting from the cavity while deforming it
Can be. Use a jig after disassembling the housings.
The terminal fitting can be pulled out without using. Howe
The lance deflection of another housing can be changed just by
The shape can be regulated and special regulating means such as a retainer must be provided.
It is possible to fully lock the terminal fittings
Wear.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. <First Embodiment> First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a female-side block connector is illustrated. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, an upper housing 1 and a lower housing 2 are stacked, and a cover 3 is attached to a lower surface of the lower housing 2. It is composed. The two housings 1 and 2 can press the electric wire W in a state where the female terminal fitting 4 is assembled in the cavity 5 as described later.

The female terminal fitting 4 assembled to each of the housings 1 and 2 is formed by bending a conductive thin metal plate, and a tab of the mating male terminal fitting is inserted into the front side (front side in FIG. 1). A box-shaped connecting portion 8 is formed, and a pressing portion 9 for pressing the core of the electric wire W and a wire W
Barrels 10 for caulking the coating are sequentially formed. As shown in FIG. 4, a lance hole 8 is provided on one surface of the female terminal fitting 4 (the lower surface when inserted into the cavity 5).
A is formed.

The upper housing 1 is formed of a synthetic resin material, and has a plurality of cavities 5 formed therein in a horizontal line as shown in FIG. The female terminal fittings 4 described above are inserted into the respective cavities 5 from the rear side (the right side in FIG. 3) and assembled.
The rear half of the lower surface of the upper housing 1 is open, and a pressing jig (not shown) is inserted into each of the cavities 5 through the opening 6, and the electric wire is connected to the female terminal fitting 4 in the cavity 5. The pressure welding work of W can be performed (see the chain line in FIG. 3). On the front of the cavity 5,
The terminal insertion opening 7 into which the tab of the mating male terminal fitting is inserted is opened.

The structure for holding the female terminal fitting 4 in the cavity 5 is as follows. A lance 11 is formed on the bottom surface of each cavity 5. In detail, this lance 1
1 is formed at the rear end edge of the remaining bottom plate portion of the cavity 5, and as shown in FIG. 5, the slits 12 are provided on both sides so that the front end extends rearward, and It can be bent and deformed downward in FIG.

A locking projection 14 is formed on the top surface of the lance 11 on the tip side. The locking projection 14 is formed as a whole with a mountain shape in cross section. As shown in FIG. 6, the right first inclined surface 14A is used for bending and deforming the lance 11 when the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted. It is a guide surface.
On the other hand, the second inclined surface 14B on the left side is a two-step inclined surface having a steep ascending slope on the lower end side and a gentle ascending slope on the upper end side. The locking surface for stopping and the guide surface for bending and deforming the lance 11 when the female terminal fitting 4 is pulled out are used.

That is, when the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted into the cavity 5 from behind, the tip of the connecting portion 8 is
When the female terminal fitting 4 is pushed down to a predetermined position, the lance 11 is bent downward and is pushed down while riding on the lower surface of the connecting portion 8 while hitting the first inclined surface 14A of the locking projection 14. While the lance 11 is being restored and deformed, the locking projection 14 is fitted into the lance hole 8A, the front edge of the lance hole 8A is locked by the second inclined surface 14B, and the female terminal fitting 4 is prevented from falling off. You. On the other hand, when the female terminal fitting 4 is pulled out with a predetermined force or more, the front edge of the lance hole 8A is pressed against the second inclined surface 14B of the locking projection 14 of the lance 11, and the second inclined surface 14B is pressed by the second inclined surface 14B. The lance 11 bends and deforms downward while being guided, and the locking is released. Therefore, it has a semi-lock structure.

A lock arm 16 is formed on the upper surface of the upper housing 1 in a cantilever manner. The lock arm 16 is bent with a lock projection 17 which can be engaged with a mating connector housing. Thus, a release operation unit 18 for releasing the lock with the other party is formed. At both left and right edges of the upper surface, protection walls 19 for preventing foreign matter from entering the lower side of the lock arm 16 are formed. A warp-restricting portion 20 is formed for restricting the warp in the direction opposite to the bending direction.

The lower housing 2 is also made of a synthetic resin material, and has a plurality of cavities 5 arranged in a row in the same manner as the upper housing 1. The female terminal fittings 4 are similarly inserted into the respective cavities 5 from the rear side and assembled. The rear half of the lower surface of the lower housing 2 is open.
A pressing jig (not shown) is inserted into each of the cavities 5, so that the electric wire W can be pressed while the female terminal fittings 4 are assembled in the cavities 5. In the front surface of the cavity 5, a terminal insertion opening 7 into which a tab of a mating male terminal fitting is inserted is opened.

On the bottom surface of each cavity 5, a lance 11A for locking the female terminal fitting 4 is provided. The lance 11A performs the same function as the lance 11 provided in the cavity 5 of the upper housing 1 including the semi-lock function.
The lower surface of the tip of 1A is provided with a regulating portion 25 of the cover 3 described later.
The shape of the lance 11 of the upper housing 1 is different from that of the lance 11 in that the escape portion 22 into which the lance 11 enters is formed.

A plurality of ribs 23 facing in the front-rear direction are provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 2 side by side.
3 presses and holds the electric wire W pressed into contact with the female terminal fitting 4 incorporated in the upper housing 1. Further, on both sides of the rib 23, a terminal holder 24 which can be locked to the rear edge of the connection portion 8 of the female terminal fitting 4 called a jaw portion 8B is formed.

The cover 3 is also formed of a synthetic resin material and has a size to close the opening 6 of the lower housing 2, and has a leading edge inside the escape portion 22 of the lance 11 A of the lower housing 2. Is provided with a protruding restricting portion 25. A plurality of ribs 23 facing in the front-rear direction are provided in parallel on the upper surface of the cover 3. When the cover 3 is mounted at a position to close the opening 6 of the lower housing 2, each rib 23 becomes The electric wire W pressed against the female terminal fittings 4 assembled in the inside 2 is pressed. Similarly, on both sides of the rib 23, a terminal holder 24 is formed which can be locked to the rear edge (chin 8B) of the connecting portion 8 of the female terminal fitting 4.

A lock mechanism is provided between the upper housing 1, the lower housing 2 and the cover 3 for assembling them integrally. The locking mechanism will be briefly described below. Two front and rear lock mechanisms are provided between the upper housing 1 and the lower housing 2.
In the front lock mechanism, a groove-shaped locking groove 27 on the upper surface of the lower housing 2 is formed over the entire width, while the upper housing 1 has a dovetail shape that can be pressed into the locking groove 27. A locking rib 28 is formed. Accordingly, the locking ribs 28 are fitted into the locking grooves 27 in a state where the locking ribs 27 are pressed into the locking grooves 27 in a state where the locking ribs 28 are prevented from coming off. The locking rib 28 can be pulled out of the locking groove 27 while being guided by the oblique side surfaces of the locking groove 27 and the locking groove 27 while elastically expanding the opening edge of the locking groove 27.

In the rear lock mechanism, a housing portion 30 for housing the rear ends of the left and right side walls of the upper housing 1 is formed on both left and right edges of the upper surface of the lower housing 2. While a rectangular locking hole 31 is formed in the outer wall, a locking projection 32 that can be fitted into the locking hole 31 is formed at the rear end of the left and right sides of the upper housing 1. ing. As shown in FIG. 7, the locking projection 32 is provided with a locking surface 32A projecting substantially perpendicularly from the side surface of the upper housing 1 and a guide surface 32B inclined downward. A C surface 32C is formed at a corner between the surface 32A and the guide surface 32B, and the C surface 3C is formed.
The leading edge in 2C is cut off diagonally and the release guide surface 3
It has a shape in which 2D is formed.

Therefore, when the upper housing 1 is stacked on the lower housing 2, the locking projections 32
When the two housings 1 and 2 are turned in the direction of being separated from each other about the rear end portion by the above-described structure of the locking projection 32, the housings 1 and 2 are elastically fitted and locked. As shown in FIG. 7, the locking projection 32 comes out of the locking hole 31 while being guided by the release guide surface 32D. At the front edge of the upper surface of the lower housing 2, two obliquely notched concave portions 34 are formed, and the disassembly jig G is inserted by being superimposed on the lower surface of the upper housing 1. A jig insertion hole 35 is formed to perform this.

As for the lock mechanism between the lower housing 2 and the cover 3, housing portions for housing the rear ends of the left and right side walls of the lower housing 2 are provided at the left and right ends of the upper rear end of the cover 3. 37 are formed. This storage part 3
A locking hole 38 is formed in the outer wall of the lower housing 7. When the cover 3 is mounted at a position that closes the opening 6 of the lower housing 2, locking projections 39 formed on both left and right sides of the lower housing 2 are formed. It fits in.

This embodiment has the structure as described above,
Subsequently, the operation will be described. To assemble the block connector, the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted into the cavity 5 in each of the housings 1 and 2. When the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted, the distal end of the connecting portion 8 comes into contact with the first inclined surface 14A of the locking projection 14 of the lance 11, 11A, and the lance 1
When the lances 11 and 11A are pushed back to the predetermined position, the locking lances 14 and 11A are restored to their original shapes, and the locking projections 14 are moved toward the female side. The female terminal fitting 4 is retained in a retaining state by fitting into the lance hole 8A of the terminal fitting 4 and locking the front edge thereof to the second inclined surface 14B. In this state, the electric wire W is pressed against each female terminal fitting 4 while the pressing jig is inserted from the opening of the cavity 5. The electric wire W pressed into contact with the female terminal fitting 4 is pulled out from the rear surface of each of the housings 1 and 2.

When the upper housing 1 is stacked on the lower housing 2, the locking ribs 28 of the upper housing 1 are engaged with the locking grooves 2 of the lower housing 2 on the front side.
7 and is fitted by being press-fitted while widening the opening edge, and on the rear side, the locking projection 32 of the upper housing 1 is guided by the guide surface 32B.
, And is fitted into the locking hole 31, and the locking surface 32 </ b> A is locked to the upper edge of the locking hole 31. Thereby, both housings 1 and 2 are held in a stacked state. Also,
By attaching the cover 3 to the lower surface of the lower housing 2,
The assembly work of the block connector is completed (see FIGS. 9 and 10).

At this time, as shown in detail in FIG. 11, since the upper surface of the lower housing 2 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the lance 11 provided on the upper housing 1, the bending deformation of the lance 11 is restricted, and the lance 11 Has a semi-lock structure, the female terminal fitting 4 is firmly held in a state of being prevented from falling off. Further, the terminal retainer 24 is locked to the jaw portion 8B to be double locked. On the other hand, when the cover 3 is attached to the lower surface of the lower housing 2, the restricting portion 25 provided on the cover 3 enters the relief portion 22 of the lance 11 </ b> A of the lower housing 2, and the deformation of the lance 11 </ b> A is also reduced. As a result, the female terminal fitting 4 is firmly held in the retaining state. Similarly, the terminal retainer 24 is locked to the jaw portion 8B to be double locked.

When disassembling the block connector assembled as described above from the necessity of repair or the like, it is performed as follows. First, as shown in FIG. 12, the tip of the disassembly jig G is inserted into the jig insertion hole 35, and the disassembly jig G is pryed so as to lift the upper housing 1. Then, the front end sides of the two housings 1 and 2 are displaced in a direction in which they are separated from each other, and the locking rib 28 is guided by the inclined surface and comes out of the locking groove 27 while widening the opening edge. The lock between 27 is released. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13, when the housings 1 and 2 are pivoted about the rear ends so as to further open the pry open front ends, as described above, the engagement provided at the rear ends is achieved. The stop projection 32 is guided by the release guide surface 32D and comes out of the locking hole 31, the engagement between the locking projection 32 and the locking hole 31 is released, and the housings 1 and 2 are separated.

Then, the lances 11 of the upper housing 1 are released from the restriction of the bending deformation, and the terminal retainer 24 is also disengaged from the jaw 8B. In that state, electric wire W
Is pulled backward, the front edge of the corresponding lance hole 8A of the female terminal fitting 4
Pressing against the inclined surface 14B, the lance 11 bends and deforms outward, and the locking projection 14 is removed from the lance hole 8A.
Subsequently, the female terminal fitting 4 can be pulled out of the cavity 5.

When the cover 3 is removed from the lower housing 2, each lance 11A of the lower housing 2 is released from the restriction of the bending deformation, and the terminal retainer 24 also comes off the jaw 8B. Is pulled backward, the front edge of the lance hole 8A of the corresponding female terminal fitting 4 is
The lance 11A is deflected outward by being pressed against the second inclined surface 14B of the 1A locking projection 14, and the locking projection 14 is removed from the lance hole 8A. Pulled out of 5.

As described above, according to the present embodiment,
As the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 are disassembled and the cover 3 is removed from the lower housing 2, the restriction on the bending deformation of the lances 11 and 11A is released. Lance 1
Since 1, 1A itself has a semi-lock structure, the female terminal fitting 4 can be pulled out of the cavity 5 without using a jig by pulling the electric wire W with a predetermined force. Also, the upper and lower housings 1 and 2 are stacked,
Also, the bending deformation of the lances 11 and 11A can be restricted only by attaching the cover 3 to the lower housing 2, and the female terminal fitting 4 is fully locked in a retaining state without any special restricting means such as a retainer. be able to.

<Second Embodiment> FIGS. 14 and 15 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In the above-described first embodiment, the block connector in which the press-contact type housings are stacked in the upper and lower two stages is illustrated. However, the second embodiment illustrates a case where one housing is used. The housing 1A of the second embodiment is formed in substantially the same shape as the upper housing 1 shown in the first embodiment. However,
The locking rib 28 for connecting the housings is removed. The lance 11A provided in the cavity 5 has the same semi-lock structure, and a relief portion 22 is formed on the lower surface of the tip similarly to the lance of the lower housing 2 of the first embodiment. Further, a cover 3 for closing the opening 6 of the cavity 5 is provided. Like the cover of the first embodiment, a lance 11 of the housing 1 </ b> A
A protruding restricting portion 25 is provided in the escape portion 22 of A. Note that portions having the same functions as those shown in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

According to the second embodiment, the cavity 5
After the female terminal fitting 4 is inserted into the inside and the electric wire W is pressed into contact, FIG.
When the cover 3 is attached to the opening 6 as shown in FIG. 5, the regulating portion 25 provided on the cover 3
2 and the bending deformation of the lance 11A is regulated, so that the female terminal fitting 4 is firmly held in the state of being prevented from falling off. When the cover 3 is removed, the lances 11A of the housing 1A are released from the restriction of the bending deformation. When the wire W is pulled backward, the lances 11A are bent outward and the locking protrusions 14 are formed. The female terminal fitting 4 is pulled out of the cavity 5 after being removed from the hole 8A.

<Other Embodiments> The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above with reference to the drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. (1) The present invention can be similarly applied to a male pressure contact type block connector and a connector used alone. (2) The present invention can be similarly applied to a crimp-type block connector in which a terminal fitting crimped to an end of an electric wire is housed in a housing. (3) In the above-described embodiment, the case where the cover is provided as a separate piece from the housing is illustrated, but the cover may be provided integrally via a hinge.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a block connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention before being assembled.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged perspective view of the female terminal fitting as viewed from below.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing a structure of a lance forming portion.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side view of a lance.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a locking projection on the rear end side of a lock mechanism of the upper and lower housings.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state during the detachment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a block connector in an assembled state.

FIG. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof.

FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged view of FIG.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing a release operation by the disassembly jig.

FIG. 13 is a side view showing a rotation operation.

FIG. 14 is a longitudinal sectional view of a connector according to a second embodiment before a cover is attached.

FIG. 15 is a longitudinal sectional view after the cover is attached.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Upper housing 2 ... Lower housing 3 ... Cover 4 ... Female terminal fitting 5 ... Cavity 6 ... Opening 8A ... Lance hole (locked part) 11 ... Lance 11A ... Lance 14 ... Locking projection 14B ... 2nd inclined surface 22 which served both as a stop surface and a guide surface 22 ... relief part 25 ... regulating part 1A ... housing

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-58-212082 (JP, A) JP-A-61-129283 (JP, U) JP-A-5-73782 (JP, U) JP-A Sho 61- 90174 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01R 13/514 H01R 13/42

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A housing is provided with a cavity for accommodating a terminal fitting, a lance which can be engaged with the terminal fitting, and a jig for allowing a wire to be pressed against the terminal fitting in the cavity. And a connector provided with a cover that closes the opening, wherein the lance flexes outward on the mounting surface of the cover to allow insertion of the terminal fitting and prevents the terminal fitting from coming off. It is lockable in a state, and has a semi-lock structure that allows the terminal fitting to be pulled out while deforming in the same direction, and that the cover is provided with a restricting portion that restricts the bending deformation of the lance. Features connector. 2. A locking projection which can be locked to a locked portion provided on a terminal fitting is formed on the lance, and the terminal fitting is pulled out from the locking projection. 2. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the semi-lock structure is provided by providing a guide surface for guiding the lance to bend and deform by contacting the locked portion. /> 3. The housing has another housing.
The other housing is closed and closed
It is possible to overlap with this separate housing
The surface restricts bending deformation of the lance of the another housing.
A restricting portion provided in the housing.
The connector according to claim 2.